Operational Tropical Cyclone Satellite Products Available from NOAA/NESDIS/OSDPD

The operational satellite production office of NESDIS, the Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution (OSDPD), is maintaining and transitioning into operations numerous satellite-derived products for use by the tropical cyclone forecasting community. A cursory review of each product and an outline of their respective merits as tools for cyclone observation and forecasting will be provided, along with basic requirements and specifications regarding timeliness, resolution, domain, and users. Existing NESDIS automated, operational tropical cyclone satellite products include the Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT), Tropical Cyclone Formation Probability (TCFP), and Ensemble Tropical Rainfall Potential (eTRaP). The GOES Multi-Platform Tropical Cyclone Surface Winds Analysis (MTCSWA) is a new product in pre-operations, while others are in various stages of development: ADT with microwave scores, Global TCFP, and improved eTRaP probability calibrations. In addition to these automated products, NESDIS satellite analysts also create subjective TC position and intensity estimates in all ocean basins using the Dvorak technique.